“The whole business model of the industry is to get people in on the promotional rates and then jack up their rate when the promotional rates end,” said Trent Crow, a former JP Morgan energy trader and founder of Real Simple Energy, a website that helps consumers find low-cost electricity plans. “I don’t think people realize how much they are overpaying.”

1. After your contract ends, the energy company will send you a notification of your rate increasing to a variable rate (which usually translates to 2-3 cents higher/kWh by a certain date). They are supposed to notify you of this change. I've noticed as a customer, we get short-changed of one month from the contract rate (if you signed for 7 cents for 6 months, you'll only get that for 5 months). If you don't call, your rate goes up significantly if you don't call to change to a cheaper contract. Tell them you want the cheapest rate or you will cancel with their company.

After spending so much time and energy with energy companies, I figure I should pass this info onto the internet world (within Houston). I am a Centerpoint Energy resident (you don't get to choose the electricity provider you have; it's based on where the electricity is provided). I think Houston is predominantly a Centerpoint energy area (correct me if I'm wrong).

CenterPoint Energy, a company that offers natural gas in six states and electricity to all of Houston, services the city and greater area. There are various choices for energy providers in Houston, and Choose Energy has partnered with some of the best. Customers have selections among trusted providers such as Reliant Energy, Direct Energy and TriEagle Energy.
Texas Power Agents: For $99 a year, Texas Power Agents will evaluate your current contract terms, access your historical usage, and determine the best plan for you going forward. If you are currently in a contract with an early termination fee, they can calculate if it is best for you to cancel now or stay until the contract is finished before securing a better deal. More info
​2013 ​On March 14, CenterPoint Energy announced it was teaming up with ArcLight Capital Partners LLC and Oklahoma City-based OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE: OGE) in an $11 billion deal to create one of the largest master limited partnerships in the U.S. The joint venture includes OGE Energy and ArcLight's midstream transportation, gathering and processing business, Enogex LLC, and all of CenterPoint Energy's interstate pipelines and field service businesses. ArcLight Capital Partners is a Boston-based energy investment firm.
ElectricityPlans makes shopping for electricity plans simple and intuitive. We give you the search tools you need to narrow your electricity plan search to specific contract lengths. In addition, you can use advanced search to narrow the search for the perfect electricity plan even further by searching for 100% renewable, prepaid plans, or electricity + extra stuff, for example. We also show each plan’s popularity over the past 30 days so you know what other electricity shoppers have selected.

Keeping on top: With deregulation, a whole host of electric resellers jumped into the market because there’s a whole lot of electricity to sell: if Texas were a country, it’d be the 11th largest electricity consumer in the world! Just by itself, it uses as much electricity as Spain or Great Britain! That means there’s a whole lot of information you have to find, absorb, and process to make sure you’re getting the best rate for your needs.

That means that customers in Houston paid an average of $5,500 more for electricity over a 14-year time span beginning in 2002, according to the group that buys electricity on behalf of municipal governments in Texas. The calculation, which uses data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, assumes monthly electricity use of 1,300 kilowatt hours.
For commercial customers, understanding a few basic details of your electricity consumption can make a big difference in the prices offered by retail providers. We are able to provide a proposal based on estimated and historical usage for your business that will organize the best offers the market has to offer. Residential rates are organized and continuously updated to ensure you are getting the best price from the strongest suppliers .
Energy Ogre: Grab a recent electric bill and head to www.energyogre.com. Enter some basic information from your bill and within minutes, Energy Ogre lets you know if it can save you money. If it can, you pay the company for one year, either $10 a month or $120 up front. Once you sign up, the company keeps looking at energy plans to make sure you're always getting the lowest rate possible. When you sign up with Energy Ogre, your electric bill and the $10 monthly fee is set on auto-pay so you don't have to worry about remembering to pay each month. More info

CenterPoint Energy, a company that offers natural gas in six states and electricity to all of Houston, services the city and greater area. There are various choices for energy providers in Houston, and Choose Energy has partnered with some of the best. Customers have selections among trusted providers such as Reliant Energy, Direct Energy and TriEagle Energy.

As a residential or commercial customer, you’ll enjoy competitive rates, flexible contracts, and personalized plans that give you the power to choose what’s best for you. And we offer no-deposit electricity for well-qualified customers and deposit payment plans for those with less than desirable credit so that switching retail electric providers won’t break the bank.‡ When you switch to Amigo Energy today, you’ll switch on the power of convenience and affordability.
*Offer valid for new residential customers in Texas only. Provisioned smart meter required. Free power begins on Fridays at 6:00 PM and ends Sunday at 11:59 PM. To utilize all features of the Echo Dot, you will need an 'always on' Wi-Fi internet service. If you cancel your plan early there's a fee of $135. You cannot return your Echo Dot to avoid the early cancellation fee. Terms and Conditions apply. All Amazon trademarks and copyrights are property of Amazon.com or its affiliates. The Echo Dot is provided by Direct Energy, Amazon is not a sponsor of this energy plan offer.